The Charlotte Hornets’ losing streak extended to 11 games after a 40-17 third-quarter advantage allowed the Denver Nuggets to put it on cruise control down the stretch and coast to victory, 111-93.
Miles Bridges led Charlotte (7-24) with 26 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists. Nick Richards had 15 points and 8 rebounds and Brandon Miller scored 15 points.
Jamal Murray dropped 25 points, 3 rebounds and 7 assists for Denver (24-11). Michael Porter Jr. tallied 22 points and 8 rebounds and Nikola Jokić logged 13 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists. Reggie Jackson scored 15 points off the bench.
Game recap
Miller received frequent on-ball reps to start for Charlotte, which trailed by four early as Jamal Murray scored 11 of Denver’s first 15 points. The game didn’t see a whistle until the 5:20 mark of the first. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope earned a technical foul, Miller sank the ensuing free throw and Washington canned an above-the-break three out of a timeout to help the Hornets tie it, 18-18. A tough layup from Jackson in the closing seconds capped off a 6-0 Nuggets run to end the quarter, giving them a 24-18 lead.
A turnaround fadeaway from Bridges, a charge drawn by Nathan Mensah, and then a layup from Bridges cut the deficit to 24-22, forcing Denver into a timeout less than a minute into the second quarter. The Hornets stifled the Nuggets with a zone defense out of the timeout, and Bryce McGowens tied it on the next trip downcourt. Bridges tallied nine points in the first four-plus minutes of the second as the Hornets went up 37-33, but the Nuggets regained the lead with a 5-0 run before Steve Clifford signaled for timeout. After trading buckets for the remainder of the first half, things headed into the break all square at 49-49.
Denver took the lead with a triple from Porter Jr. on the first possession of the first half, and it went sharply downhill from there. McGowens scored early before the Nuggets went on a 17-0 run, taking total control of the game as the Hornets once again came out of the locker room with no urgency. Richards’ dunk finally ended the scoreless drought, though Charlotte was already in a 69-53 hole by then.
The Nuggets ripped off an 8-0 run after that, building the overall run to 30-6 as Jokić got wherever he wanted on the floor and the Hornets lost every shred of momentum they had. Overall, Denver shot 63.2% from the field and outscored the Hornets 40-17 a the third quarter strongly reminiscent of the 30-9 third quarter in the Dec. 23 matchup between these two teams.
Denver’s bench cleared for the start of the fourth quarter and Charlotte mostly emptied theirs soon after; as much as they can with 11 healthy players, at least. The game coasted to a close from there after the third quarter barnstorm handed the reigns to the Nuggets.
the GOOD
Ish Smith received his 2023 NBA championship ring tonight. It’s always nice to see good people be celebrated. Congrats to Ish once again.
Clifford fed Miller reps, got him a P&R look on the first two possessions and gave him freedom to hunt his shot all night. It’s encouraging to see him be rightfully treated like the #1 option with LaMelo Ball and Rozier sidelined.
Nick Smith Jr. continues to play with a lot of energy — sometimes he’s a bit too chaotic, but displaying consistent hustle and effort along with the shooting touch+range combination is really intriguing. Glad he’s getting meaningful minutes during this stretch.
the BAD
Bridges was the only top scoring option shooting with efficiency. Miller shot poorly even though his looks came within the offense, Cody Martin shot 0-6 and Smith went 5-12 from the field. Charlotte went 10-26 from deep and allowed the Nuggets to shoot 15-38, largely due to miscommunication, poor or missed rotations, and lazy closeouts. Never going to win giving up open looks on that kind of 3-point volume.
Another game that could’ve been won with a stronger second half. Injuries can’t be the reason for long stretches of poor two-way play every single game. At some point, players need to be held accountable for blowing leads and handing momentum to the other team. The Hornets had the defending champs on the ropes at halftime and just completely let it go tonight, extending the longest active losing streak in the NBA to 11 games.
